Busy Monday morning in Newlyn.

Go for it! and all is busy this morning...

hake from the Ocean pride...

sardines from the Lyonesse...

turbot from the big red boat...

and John Dory too...

those eight-leggers are still marching across the ocean floor in numbers!..

the traditional way to keep shellfish like lobsters alive in transit...

iconic summer fish, red mullet...

crawfish and grey mullet...

Butts and bass, the two go together like strawberries and cream...

lost fishing gear, most likely Spanish long-line entangled with gill nets of unknown origin...

the crabber Isabelle landing her crab...

another classic yacht on passage...

a busy landing berth alongside the market...

as Deputy Harbourmaster Jedna prepares the slip cradle for the Elizabeth N...

meanwhile, the harbour's go-to tugmeister Jeremy takes of the tow line from the Argonaut having towed the stricken scalloper Henry Monty into the Bay.

 

Through the Gaps: News from Newlyn Harbour – July Update

For every one fisherman at sea there are 15 jobs ashore in support..

Newlyn Harbour, a vital artery for Cornwall’s fishing industry and a cornerstone of the local community, has been a hive of activity, as highlighted by the latest update from Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners (NP&HC). From new appointments to significant infrastructure developments and ongoing maintenance, the port is clearly focused on its continued prosperity and enhancing its services for all users.

New Faces Join the Board

Following recent local authority elections, two new Cornwall Council representatives have joined the NP&HC Board. Councillor Jim McKenna, Cornwall Councillor for Penzance Promenade ward and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Partnerships, and Councillor Thalia Marrington, Cornwall Councillor for Mousehole, Newlyn & St Buryan ward and Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Public Health, have taken up their posts. Their appointments underscore the close relationship between the harbour and the wider community, ensuring strong local representation in its governance.

Paul Durkin, Chair of NP&HC, extended a warm welcome to the new appointees, stating, "On behalf of the Board, I welcome Cllr McKenna and Cllr Marrington as the Cornwall Council appointees to our Board of Harbour Commissioners and look forward to continuing to work with them to secure the prosperity of the Newlyn Harbour Estate for the Cornish fishing fleet and our wider community."

After sterling work and much appreciated contributions the board also said goodbye to commissioners Peter Shannon, Pete Perry and, after many years service, ex-fisherman Robert George.

A busy week and plenty of fish for the final July #FishyFriday market.

 

Mid-week and two working boats and a gin palace all enjoyed yet another flat-calm misty morning in Mounts Bay...

as Robert and... 

and the rest of the team grade and weigh their way through hundreds of boxes landed by the fleet for a typical FishyFriday auction...

meanwhile, when they are not at sea hauling their nets from the seabed crews are hard at work mending them...

looks like it wont be long before the concrete mixers trun up to flood the newly laid floors in the...

new Resource Centre which is quickly taking shape on the site of 

refrigerated transport ready and waiting to be loaded...

always good to see young Barry bringing home the catch...

things are really moving ahead down the Old Quay with the installation of water and electricity to replace the corroded pipework of the past...

he left to fish, now he's back again...

only the walls and roof to go...

meanwhile in the Training Hib the new recruits from harbours all round Cornwall literally learning the ropes,...

like wrestling with a simple eye splice...

learning how to braid trawl meshes...

make a clove hitch...

rolling hitch...

or tie that most useful of knots, the bowline...

all under the watchful eye of the rope maestro, Nigel Taylor...

as the nine keen young recruits near the end of their Seafood Cornwall Training's Introduction to Fishing course...

though this guy seems to have found it all too much!

Can women save the Fishing Industry?

It might not be the answer to the industry's recruitment crisis but is totally encouraging to see these three - and they are not alone - bringing fish to our plates! A credit to the industry.

 

"Brooke, Erin and Emma are part of a handful of young women now edging their way into Britain’s fishing fleet. They call themselves fishermen, not fisherwomen. Twenty-year-old rookie Brooke has been nominated for a trainee fisherman award, Erin works on a trawler, hauling prawns for up to a fortnight at a time in the far-flung waters of the North Atlantic, and 19-year-old Emma is the skipper of her own creel boat. As crews age and vessels lie idle for lack of hands, their stories ask whether ‘female fishermen’ could save the industry – and whether the old guard will let them work alongside them."

Erin's comment, as she made her way down to the boat to sail, was the most telling of the night and a hint as to why the industry has problem recruiting youngsters - while the others were off enjoying a glass of bubbles at the annual Fishing News Awards in Aberdeen she was off to sea on another ten day trip. It seems to be a pattern around the coast that most of the local youngsters coming into the industry are local and looking to work on day boats.

To be fair, there haver always been women in fishing, they've just never made it on TV before!

You can catch the full programme on iPlayer here.  

Where did the sun go?!

 

Not the brightest start to the week in Newlyn...

but that doesn't stop a market full of delicious summer fishy treats brighetening up the day with the usual wide range of shellfish like these spider claws...

and superb fish like these line caught bass...

from top local fisherman like the man who fishes from the inshore boat, Butts...

at this time of year the Cornish sardine season is in full swing with the odd box of interloping scad...

coming ashore from the ring net fleet now working in Mounts Bay most nights...

there's sill no signs of the octopus invasion slowing down...

with another 7.5 tons on the market this morning...

just look at the size of those suckers!..

the best flavours of the summer months come in all shades of red and orange, like these cracking craws...

and red mullet...

while young Danny's trip saw the boat filled with megrim sole, most of which will be bound for Spanish tables...

along with a few monk tails...

Aaron is back in town so the buyers were happy to welcome a shot of hake from him this morning...

the obligatory box of two cod seems to be the norm for any boat landing these days...

ever wonder why these sharks are called spurdogs?..

last but not least, a shot of hake to finish with from the Ygraine.

EFRA Committee launches calls for evidence on fisheries and the UK-EU SPS agreement

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has today launched two calls for evidence, in response to announcements made on 19 May, when leaders from the UK and EU met in London for the first formal bilateral meeting since the UK’s departure from the EU.

In the meeting on 19 May, both parties agreed to work towards a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, intended to reduce barriers to the trade of food and agricultural products between the UK and the EU. The EFRA Committee is inviting written evidence submissions, until 5 September, on the proposed SPS Agreement, including how it should be negotiated, implemented, and integrated into the UK’s wider food, farming, and environmental goals.

MPs will also examine how an SPS agreement might affect the UK’s internal market, considering regulatory divergence across the devolved nations.

The 19 May meeting also saw the UK Government announce the creation of a £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, alongside a UK-EU agreement to extend current ‘fully reciprocal’ fisheries access arrangements until 30 June 2038. EFRA is inviting submissions on how the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund should be designed and delivered to best meet the needs of the sector and communities and how the UK can provide comprehensive and coherent support for its domestic fishing sector and fishing communities beyond this Fund.

Full details of two calls for evidence launched today can be found below and submissions can be made on the Committee’s website, until 23:59 on Friday 5 September 2025.

Inquiry: Fisheries and the marine environment - call for evidence

The EFRA Committee invites written submissions to any or all of the below questions:

• What should be the key priorities for the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to ensure it delivers meaningful impact across both the fishing industry and communities?

• How should the Fund be structured and delivered to reflect the diversity and needs of fishing communities across the UK, including inshore fleets and more isolated areas?

• What role should the devolved administrations play in the design and delivery of the Fund

• What lessons can be learned from previous funding schemes, such as the UK Seafood Fund, to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of the new Fund? How can the new Fund work to complement and not duplicate currently available schemes?

• What additional measures, beyond the Fund, are needed to support the long-term viability and resilience of fishing communities?

• How can the UK ensure a skilled and future-ready workforce in the fishing and seafood sectors, including through training, apprenticeships, career development and visa policies?

• What has been the impact of recent policy developments —such as the proposed ban on bottom trawling in more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the roll-out of Fisheries Management Plans and the extended EU-UK reciprocal access arrangements — on fishing communities?

Inquiry: Animal and plant health – call for evidence

The EFRA Committee invites written submissions to any or all of the below questions:

• What is a realistic timeline for the negotiation and implementation of an SPS agreement?

• What opportunities and risks are posed by the introduction of dynamic regulatory alignment with the EU?

• How should traders, producers, businesses and policy makers prepare in sectors where regulatory divergence already exists or may emerge, such as in precision breeding, animal welfare and crop protection?

• How should the UK Government engage with industry stakeholders and devolved administrations to ensure the agreement aligns with wider agri-food and environmental goals?

• What could the implications of an SPS agreement for trade and border controls be, including border infrastructure, resources, biosecurity, trade friction, growth and the treatment of imports from non-EU countries?

• How might an SPS agreement affect the UK’s internal market, particularly considering regulatory divergence across the devolved nations?

• What impact could the proposed SPS agreement have on upcoming Defra agri-food and environmental strategies, such as the Land Use Framework, Food Strategy, Farming Roadmap, and efforts to improve farming profitability and sustainable growth? Chair comment

The Chair of the EFRA Committee, Alistair Carmichael MP, said:

“The UK-EU negotiations towards an SPS agreement present an important opportunity for the Government to resolve difficulties which are currently hampering trade with the EU, while also protecting British food producers and maintaining British standards and decisions in food production. The Government must ensure that it negotiates on the basis of the fullest understanding and knowledge of the situation and needs of our farmers, horticulturalists, food manufacturers and traders. To inform our committee’s scrutiny of this area, we have today launched a call of evidence for views on the proposed SPS agreement, including how it should be negotiated, implemented, and integrated.

“The Government has also announced the establishment of a fund to support the British fishing industry. This has great potential to address serious issues afflicting the sector and the communities dependent on it, and to generate significant growth within the industry. At present, there is a great deal of concern within fishing communities about the security of their futures. Our committee is keen to see this fund used to the very best effect and to this end we are inviting written evidence from stakeholders including industry representatives, fishers, community leaders, devolved administrations, academics, and members of the public.”